At the time of this review, this is #1 on the "Top Beers - Kristalweizen". Poured from a can into a goblet. Beer is yellow and mildly hazy with a nice white head, small and medium bubbles, moderate to low carbonation. Some lacing, moderate retention.

Aroma is lemony and sweet with a mild yeast influence.

Beer is light and wet with a citrusy / lemony sense to it, a little grainy on the finish but overall a nice beer. I enjoyed it but I think I like Weihenstephaner better though. I had two, I might buy more.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation, very smooth and creamy, and very easy to drink. Very nice mouthfeel.

o - Overall I liked this one a lot. Loads of bananas and smells amazing, though the taste is a tiny bit too sweet for me and keeps it from being a great beer. Still a very good beer and something I liked a lot and will revisit this summer.

473ml/16 fl oz aluminum can with stylish well laid out label art acquired as part of a 4 pack at Twin Liquors and served into an Independence Brewing pilsner glass in me gaff in low altitude Austin, Texas. Reviewed live. Expectations are average; I've never had a beer from this brewery before. 5.2% ABV confirmed. 11 IBU. 3.7 SRM.

Served cold - straight from me fridge. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: No bubble show forms as I pour.

Pours a three finger wide head of beige colour. Decent thickness and creaminess. Complexion could be softer. No lacing clings to the sides of the glass as the head recedes. Head retention is good - about 3-4 minutes. I'd like a bit more froth given the style.

Body colour is a clear translucent yellow copper of above average vibrance. No yeast particles are visible.

Sm: Buttery (diacetyl?) and creamy, with an untoward sweetness. Maybe even a hint of vanilla/creme brulee. Wheat. Dirty orange fruit; this is not the refreshing orange peel you'd want in a proper kristalweizen. Banana and clove. It comes off artificial, as though brewed with extract. I'm really concerned; this misses the mark for the style. Banana is dominant. I'm not getting any complex yeasty notes, and it doesn't seem to have fermented all that cleanly. Hopping is floral in character, with some light fruitiness as well, and has minimal presence.

No alcohol is detectable. An off-putting aroma of above average strength.

T: The wheat body doesn't feel fresh at all, and is eclipsed by a layer of artificial sweetness; boy is this not traditional. I get some doughy yeast - which is unbecoming. Clove, banana, sweet maltiness. Candy floss/bubblegum. Maybe even lime? Unwelcome vanilla and accompanying sweetness. It's not quite cloying, but it's far from well balanced. Some vague apple and orange fruit notes. Hop presence is minimal and contributes little except for generic floral and fruity notes. Built poorly for a kristalweizen.

Subpar depth of flavour. Average duration and intensity of flavour.

No alcohol comes through. The yeast-derived notes (banana and clove) are subdued, and the beer lacks both complexity and a clean feel. Zero subtlety and nuance here.

Mf: Smooth and wet. Weak, lacking presence. Buttery. Not full-bodied. Mouthfeel doesn't suit the flavour profile or the style particularly well. Overcarbonated, but it has none of the clean crispness found in the best examples of the style. Unrefreshing - a crucial mis-step for a kristalweizen.

Not oily, gushed, boozy, harsh, or hot.

Dr: I'm rather disappointed. This is pretty mediocre stuff. They even got the wheat note wrong. As an introduction to Sixpoint, it's discouraging me from wanting to try their other offerings. I wouldn't buy this again; it's a pretty subpar kristalweizen. Not sure quite what they were going for with this. I'm shocked at its current high ratings. Though it's a poor beer in the style, if you disregard styles altogether and just view it as a beer, it's of average quality.

If we're being comparative, it don't hold a candle to New Glarus' offering.

16 ounce can into weizen glass, best by 8/18/2012. Pours lightly hazy golden amber color with a nice 3 finger dense white head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Some good spotty lacing on the glass, with plenty of carbonation streaming up. Aromas of big banana, orange, bubblegum, biscuit, clove, herbal, and floral. Very nice and well balanced aromas with nice complexity. Taste of big banana, orange, pear, lemon, biscuit, clove, bubblegum, herbal, floral, and tangy wheat. Lingering notes of citrus, banana, biscuit, herbal, bubblegum, and light tanginess on the finish for a short bit. Nice balance of flavors; with more of a sweet flavor presence over spicy esters. Finish is fairly dry. Medium carbonation and body; with a lightly creamy and slick moutfeel. Alcohol is completely hidden as expected for 5.2%. Overall this is a damn nice Kristalweizen! Very nice flavor balance and complexity; and extremely smooth to drink. I really have no complaints, very enjoyable stuff.

A: Pours a slightly hazy deep golden yellow to golden orange in color with some light amounts of visible carbonation. The beer has a finger tall white head that reduces to an extremely thin film covering the center of the beer with a thicker ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate to significant amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Strong aroma of banana and clove, as I would have expected for the style, along with some light hints of bubblegum along with light amounts of lemon citrus.

T: The flavor really follows the smell. There are light amounts of wheat in the background but int he foreground this beer is all banana and clove. Additionally there are some light hints of lemon citrus and a touch of a bubblegum flavor. Overall quite delicious with just enough complexity.

O: Extremely drinkable and very refreshing. I really enjoyed this beer and would be happy to have a couple of these in a sitting. I enjoyed the fact that the flavors and aromas were very true to the style.

I must be slipping! I CAN swear that I reviewed this at some point, but thanks to the diligent eye of JVHBass, I guess that I have not. New CANned Beer Sunday CANtinues, unabated.

From the CAN: "A something in a summer's Day/As slow her flambeaux burn away/Which solemnizes me. A something in a summer's noon-/A depth-an Azure-a perfume-Transcending ecstasy."; "Apollo is our summer wheat; a special tart and refreshing ray of illumination."

The first is a quote from Emily Dickinson's poem, "A something in a summer's Day" and if you think that I recognized it on my own, I must disavow you of such a notion. These guys are good and I often rely on yon Internet for help.

I needed no help with the Crack & Glug, not with a glass standing by. The finger of fizzy, bone-white head quickly wilted in the afternoon heat and became mere wisps. Color was a slightly hazy golden-yellow which was nice, but inappropriate for a Kristalweizen. Nose smelled strongly of oranges - Mandarin, Tangelo, Tangerines. Wow! Mouthfeel was medium with a definite initial tartness on the tongue, followed by flavors of orange. It was like a liquid orange Sweetart! The finish was dry, tangy, tart, definitely refreshing and especially on this summer's Day. I drank the heck out of this when it was first released, but just a couple at a time would be satiating.

Enjoyed a 16 oz can of Apollo, stamped best by Sept 2012. Is this really a kristalweizen? There's no sediment in the can, but the beer is a hazy amber. Either way, it's a fine wheat beer that reminds me of Weihenstephaner's hefe for the subtle, but rich, spicy clove yeast character. Slightly fruity (banana and orange) bread balance the phenols. The carbonation is a little lighter here, but instead of feeling heavier, it smooths the beer out. Great beer, best wheat beer in a can maybe.

The beer is golden colored with a small white head. The aroma offers wheat, bananas, grass, clove, light spice. Smells great. Smooth and easy to drink. Nice banana flavor throughout. Pretty well balanced and light on the palate. A solid example of the style. Recommended.

Apollo hisses when cap pops open. The liquid is a golden color with some orange glaze woven within. About an inch of very loose off white foam graces the top for a second or two and dies into nothing, no lace. Smell is on the fruity side with some very sharp smelling hops that are not on the citrus tip like a typical IPA. This is different. I get some apple mixed in with some bready yeast and some clove with warming. This beer is different, not what I was expecting. I went in blind, not knowing this is a Kristalweizen. A fruity pale beer with a sharp tart finish. Apple, pear, bread, yeast, and just weird beer altogether. Not really my thing, yet this style is never brewed anymore, if it is indeed what it says. Feel is a step up from light with dead carb, so there is no life. Drinkability hurts because of that. For some reason, i want to eat fish and chips with Apollo, it seems like a good fit.

I wasn't sure what I thought of this beer at first- I like the creamy banana notes, but I was a bit put off by the grainy sourness, which I thought was out of place here. I'm not sure I've totally changed my mind- the sourness still bugs me a bit here, but on a not day I can see the point. I'd still like it more if it were a bit more traditional for the style. As always I love the tallboy cans, just wish I liked what was inside a bit more.

A real nice orange and yellow body color highlighted nicely through the glass, with some cola bubbles, opaque and cloudy, this is not clear like a Kristalweizen. Head is classic white and a bit soapy with some good retention, and some creamy character. Fairly attractive looking beer.

Real nice emphasis on dry clove, has a witbier orange citrus character to it also. Smells like a classic Hefe with a bit of orange twist, heh heh, I made a pun.

Real interesting here. First palate rush is a juicy orange and tangerine, and then a giant blast of fruity classic estery banana. Chewy malt backbone with a good texture, finish brings a nice soda orange character and walloping bread punch. There's even just a hint of playful carbs to go with a mild soda action but nothing that disturbs the taste. Aftertaste really lingers and provide much of the palates richness.